Speeches by Farnsworth.

“I am interested in continuing education on release. We have all heard from you that there is clear evidence that education within prisons assists with reducing reoffending on the outside. I think it was you, Annick, who talked about the risk of early release under certain schemes in emergency situations like we have se…”

“We heard in previous sessions that the number of temporary releases reduced, particularly since covid, and never really recovered from that. Would you like to see more use of that for educational purposes?”

“I am the Member of Parliament for Amber Valley. I am a non-practising solicitor, formerly working at the Crown Prosecution Service, and my registration of interests is as on the website.”

“On that point, it sounds a bit like a prison postcode lottery, in terms of different prisons offering different types of courses. That is great, but obviously you may have a prisoner who really is drawn to construction—off the top of my head—and one prison offers that and the prison that he happens to go to does not. A…”

“We heard in previous sessions that the number of temporary releases reduced, particularly since covid, and never really recovered from that. Would you like to see more use of that for educational purposes?”

“I am interested in continuing education on release. We have all heard from you that there is clear evidence that education within prisons assists with reducing reoffending on the outside. I think it was you, Annick, who talked about the risk of early release under certain schemes in emergency situations like we have se…”

“That is really interesting because we are talking about NEETs quite a lot at the moment: people not in education, employment or training. It is really interesting that there is no data collected specifically on prison release on that point.”

“That in itself is an example of best practice when it works, and it sounds like it is a really good scheme or system that you have there generally. Are there any other examples of good practice, and are there any other opportunities that you can see that would help to support prison leavers into the community continuin…”

“The requirement to have GCSE English and maths has been removed, so does that open up apprenticeships now?”

“A more joined-up approach for re-entry into the community might be useful, would you say?”

“Would you like to see links with businesses on the outside as well, taking people through perhaps with apprenticeships, or some sort of link where local businesses might support funding for education in the prison and then jobs on the outside when they come out?”

“We have some MPs sitting here thinking about the businesses in their constituencies that might be able to help.”

“That is really interesting because we are talking about NEETs quite a lot at the moment: people not in education, employment or training. It is really interesting that there is no data collected specifically on prison release on that point.”

“Dr Jo, you have hit on something that is really important to me and my colleagues in Derbyshire. Lee will know that Derbyshire county council and the ICB have recently failed quite dramatically an Ofsted report on their SEND provision, so I am really interested to hear what you say. MOJ data shows that 55% of prisoners…”

“I have some questions about prison libraries. I was celebrating World Book Day with my children last week and having long conversations about reading for pleasure. I was heartened to read in our brief that the Prison Rules 1999 say that a library should be provided in every prison and, subject to the directions of the …”

“The 317 pages of the Bill make satisfying reading for this former Crown prosecutor—satisfying because I know it is packed full of measures that will make the streets safer for my constituents. Amber Valley is a brilliant place to live, but sadly it is not without incidents of antisocial behaviour. That is an important …”

“I am pleased that the Government are committed to tackling the mental health epidemic among adults and children in this country, especially with the specialist mental health professionals that will be installed in every school—parents in my constituency of Amber Valley will welcome that. Does my hon. Friend agree that …”

“I am absolutely flabbergasted by some of the things that the shadow Justice Secretary, the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick) said today. I assure him that this backlog has not materialised just over the last eight months. I can say that as a Crown prosecutor who worked throughout the 14 years of the last Go…”

“I have three great towns in my constituency—Heanor, Ripley and Alfreton—but sadly, Amber Valley is not immune to issues with off-road bikes. My hon. Friend talks about intelligence leading to solving crimes. Does she agree that community policing and the increased numbers of officers that the Government will provide wi…”

“I don’t doubt it. I agree that for the people, the staff involved, it is an incredible opportunity that they can move between Departments. What I am concerned about is what we have been seeing in the courts. Nick just mentioned the word “stressful”. I am concerned about people leaving because of the impact that the cur…”